Expression Characteristics of KAI1 and Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor and Their Diagnostic Value for Hepatocellular Carcinoma

BACKGROUND/AIMS: We tried to investigate the expression characteristics of KAI1, a suppressor of wide-spectrum tumor metastasis, and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), the most common angiogenesis factor, and then to analyze their diagnostic value for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). METHODS: The protein and mRNA expression levels of KAI1 or VEGF in HCC tissues and in self-controlled para-carcinoma tissues were analyzed by Western blot and real-time polymerase chain reaction, respectively. Serum levels of KAI1 and VEGF in the patients with HCC, benign liver disease or in healthy controls were quantitatively detected by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. RESULTS: The expression level of KAI1 was downregulated, while the expression level of VEGF was upregulated in the tissues or serum of the patients with HCC. The expression level of serum KAI1 in HCC patients was correlated with TNM staging, intrahepatic metastasis, lymph node or peritoneal metastasis, and portal vein thrombus. In addition to the factors that were correlated with KAI1 expression, VEGF expression was also closely related to the alpha-fetoprotein level of the patients. The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve for the diagnosis of HCC was 0.907 for KAI1 and 0.779 for VEGF. The sensitivity of serum KAI1 levels in the diagnosis of HCC was 86.96%; the accuracy was 83.06%, while the sensitivity, the accuracy and the negative predictive value were improved to 91.86%, 84.68%, and 78.79% according to the combined detection of KAI1 and VEGF, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: A combined detection of KAI1 and VEGF may greatly improve the efficiency of diagnosis and form a reliable panel of diagnostic markers for HCC.

Prevalence of overweight and obesity among children and adolescents in Shenyang and its relationship with birth weight / 中华实用儿科临床杂志

Objective To determine the prevalence of overweight and obesity among children and adolescents in Shenyang and the relationship between the birth weight to overweight and obesity in the childhood aged 7 to 17 years.Methods A stratified cluster representative sample of 5800 children and adolescents aged 7 to 17 years from 27 schools among 3 regions in Shenyang was selected.The study was carried out by using questionnaire about birth weight and physical examination including weight and height.Overweight and obesity were defined according to body mass index cutpoint.The body mass index classification criteria recommended by the Chinese Working Group on Obesity for Children(WGOC) was adopted,and the relationship between birth weight and overweight or obesity in children and adolescents were analyzed by collecting the information associated with overweight or obesity.Results The overall combined prevalence of overweight and obesity was 21.13％ with obesity as 7.12％ based on the WGOC criteria,and children of 10 to 12 years old were high-risk population groups.The risk of a male becoming overweight or obesity was 2.01 times higher than the risk of a female.The prevalence of overweight and obesity in Shenyang were level Ⅱ,especially for males the incidence of overweight and obesity of high birth weight babies was 1.73 (95％ CI:1.51-2.87) times higher than that of normal birth weight babies,while the incidences of overweight and obesity between low birth weight babies and normal birth weight babies were not statistically different.Conclusions The study indicated that the prevalence of overweight or obesity children and adolescents are level Ⅱ in Shenyang.There is high risk to be overweight and obesity in adolescences and especially for males.To decrease overweight and obesity in children and adolescents we should pay greater attention to fetus period.

Effects of glutamine on extracellular signal regulated kinase and p38MAPK expression in the kidney in young rats with endotoxemia / 中国当代儿科杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>Glutamine has protective effects against renal injuries. This study was designed to explore the possible mechanism underlying the protections by examining the effects of glutamine on extracellular signal regulated kinase (ERK) and p38MAPK expression in the kidney in rats with endotoxemia.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>One hundred and twenty-one 18-day-old Wistar rats were randomly injected with LPS (4 mg/kg; n=55), LPS (4 mg/kg)+glutamine (1 mL/kg) (n=55), or normal saline (control group; n=11). The two LPS groups were subdivided into five groups sacrificed at 2, 4, 6, 24 and 72 hrs after administration (n=11 each). ERK-2 and p38MAPK mRNA and protein expression in the kidney were measured by RT-PCR and immunohistochemistry.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>Compared to the control group, the mRNA and protein expression of both ERK-2 and p38MAPK in the LPS group significantly increased 2, 4, 6, 24 and 72 hrs after administration (P<0.01), and reached a peak at 6 hrs (P<0.01). In the LPS+glutamine group, the trend of ERK-2 and p38MAPK expression was similar to the LPS group but their expression levels were significantly lower than those in the LPS group at all time points (P<0.05 or 0.01).</p><p><b>CONCLUSIONS</b>Both ERK-2 and p38MAPK expression increased in young rats with LPS-induced endotoxemia. Glutamine alleviates renal injuries possibly by decreasing the expression of both.</p>